Keynote Speakers
Jae Charlton
Jae (she/they) is a disability, queer and youth advocate who has been working in systems change for almost 20 years, an elite para athlete and a coach to athlete with disabilities across NSW. She is currently on the Impact Board of The Accountable Futures Collective where she strives to teach the system how to embrace youth driven accountability.
Tori Clough
Tori is a youth ambassador at the Mater Hospital Brisbane. She is neurodiverse and has Neuronal Intestinal Dysplasia aka Slow Transit Constipation. Tori is of First Nation descent of the Yorta Yorta mob. She brings her lived experience as a Young Adult with chronic illness being Indigenous and being neurodiverse.
Ivan Frkovic
Commissioner Frkovic has worked in the Queensland mental health system for more than 30 years and oversees the delivery and implementation of Queensland’s strategic plan for mental health, alcohol and drugs and suicide prevention. Commissioner Frkovic is experienced across government and non-government organisations, bringing all sectors together to focus on delivering better mental health outcomes for Queenslanders.
Alex Haslam
Alex Haslam is a Professor of Psychology and Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. He is an Associate Editor of Leadership Quarterly and a former Chief Editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology. His research focuses on the study of group and identity processes in social, organizational and clinical contexts. Together with colleagues, he has written and edited 15 books and over 300 peer-reviewed articles on these topics that have been cited nearly 70,000 times. His most recent books are The New Psychology of Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power (2nd ed. Psychology Press, 2020, with Steve Reicher & Michael Platow), and The New Psychology of Health: Unlocking the Social Cure (Routledge, 2018, with Catherine Haslam, Jolanda Jetten, Tegan Cruwys, & Genevieve Dingle). In 2022 Alex was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia “for significant service to higher education, particularly psychology, through research and mentoring”. Alex will be presenting some of his work on loneliness and its impact on young people.
Semara Jose
Semara Jose, a proud Gudjula, Eastern-Kuku Yalanji, and Darnley Island woman from Cairns (Gimuy), is a dynamic young leader dedicated to empowering her community. She co-founded and leads Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good (DIYDG), an Indigenous organization in Far North Queensland, focusing on leadership, well-being, and culture for youth and families.
Semara's visionary leadership inspires others to follow their dreams, especially young people, whom she considers natural leaders and change agents. She is committed to nurturing their potential and advocating for youth voices in decision-making. She's facilitated youth contributions to initiatives such as Wiyi Yani U Thangari – Women’s Voices Youth Forum, NACCHO Youth Conference, and the Queensland Government Youth Strategy.
Semara Jose's tireless dedication and visionary leadership continue to drive positive change in her community and beyond.
Russell Viner
Russell Viner is Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Education. He is a paediatrician and professor at the University College London (UCL) Great Ormond St. Institute of Child Health and works clinically at University College London Hospitals (UCLH).
His work focuses on public health and policy for children and young people, particularly at the overlap of physical and mental health and the connections between education and health. His research ranges from trials in schools to improve mental health to data science work with very large, linked datasets in health and education. Australian by background, he started work at UCL after medical training in Queensland and a PhD at Cambridge University.
Angela Young
​Angela is a Kullalli/Koa woman. She is committed to creating a more innovative, culturally safe and engaging healthcare pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families. She has also worked as the General Manager, Policy and Research for the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council.
2024 Youth Health Conference
2024 Youth Health Conference theme: Connecting to Our Future
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